Rafael Grossi

Vienna: The chief of the UN atomic watchdog, Rafael Grossi, is in Ukraine to discuss "the safety and security" of nuclear sites there, the agency said on Tuesday.

This is Grossi’s first visit to Ukraine after Russia seized several nuclear facilities, including Chernobyl, during its more than month-long invasion. "The aim of the director general’s visit is to initiate prompt safety and security support to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement.

Grossi is holding talks with senior government officials and will travel to one of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants during the week’s visit, the agency said, without specifying which one.